


Winter Rose

by ChandrilaSky



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Sequel Trilogy
Genre: Childhood Memories, Family, Fluff, Holidays, Sibling Bonding, Siblings, Sisters, Sweet, Winter
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-15
Updated: 2019-12-15
Packaged: 2021-02-26 02:20:13
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,845
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21805801
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ChandrilaSky/pseuds/ChandrilaSky
Summary: Paige Tico wants to share a special memory with her younger sister, Rose, so they go out on a winter walk to explore some hidden beauty of Hays Minor.
Relationships: Paige Tico & Rose Tico
Comments: 3
Kudos: 4





	Winter Rose

The snow swirled around them, glittering against the darkness as it fell, adding to the blanket of sparkling white already accumulating on the ground. Rose tried her best to follow her sister, Paige’s instructions. “Walk slowly and quietly. Try not to disturb anything. It’s so peaceful this way we don’t want to ruin it” Rose walked as steadily as she could through the growing drift of snow, but found it challenging with the thick boots and extra layers of clothing weighing her down. Still, she knew better than to complain. Paige had been so adamant about showing her something magical, something that could only be seen during the first snow. And lately, Paige had become, not distant exactly...the sisters were still best friends. But Paige was a few years older and had started to display interest in things Rose couldn’t understand. And she’d started to get closer to some of her friends from school. Rose felt it was extra important that she not fall too far behind.

“How much further, Pae Pae?” Rose asked, trying to sound casual, hoping to keep any hint of displeasure out of her voice.

“Not long, Rose. But don’t be in such a hurry. Part of the magic is the journey. Just think of it…how often to we get to see our world covered in sparkles like this? Try to enjoy it. If your legs hurt, we can stop to rest. There’s no rush.” Rose’s legs did hurt. So did her feet and her face, but she wouldn’t tell Paige, no matter what. She wanted her big sister to see her as an equal. Instead, she adjusted her hat and coat and tried to take larger steps. Paige was right, it _was_ a beautiful sight. As Rose began to pay closer attention to the new shapes the snow created on the trees and the unique scent in the air she could only describe as ‘clean,’ the ache in her muscles eased. Even her frozen face ceased to irritate her as much. She watched her sister gliding ahead with grace and agility, as if snow were a common occurrence on Hays Minor, instead of an anomaly. This was one of the many reasons why Rose admired Paige so much. Paige Tico always seemed brave, adventurous, and curious, things Rose wanted to be herself, but she wasn’t sure how to do so.

“There,” said Paige, stopping suddenly. She pointed off a little way towards an outcrop at the edge of the trees. Rose vaguely thought she knew of this place. It was near one of the biggest mining quarries for Haysian smelt. “Can you make it?” Paige asked. She looked at Rose with raised eyebrows.

“Of course, I can!” Said Rose. She took several large steps to catch up to her sister, determined to stay by her side for the remainder of the journey, now that an end had appeared in sight. They walked together in silence. A more palpable silence than Rose had ever known, with the buffer of snow surrounding them. As they approached the outcrop, Rose began to spy hints of red blinking up through the snow.

“C’mon! We’re close,” said Paige, grabbing Rose’s hand and gently pulling her forward to get a good look at what Paige could already see, or what she already knew was there. As she looked, Rose gasped. Dotting the hillside were hundreds of bright red roses, sparkling from the snowflakes that had landed on them.

“Roses!” said Rose.

“These flowers are your namesake, Rose,” said Paige.“They only appear during winter and they only look red when it’s cold enough to snow. The last time it snowed here was…”

“My birthday?” asked Rose. Paige nodded.

“That’s right. You were born in the winter, on a rare snowy day just like this. I remember it because I was so excited to have a little sister, but I was so nervous too. That day, dad carried me on his back through the snow to this place. He wanted to bring a bundle of roses to mom and to you, but I was so fussy that he could only manage to get just one. He let me picked it out and bring it to her! When she saw it, she was so moved, she decided to name you after it.” Paige smiled brightly and Rose felt suddenly overwhelmed by the threat of happy tears. She wanted to grab her sister and hug her tightly, but Paige was already scrambling up the hillside through the flower bushes.

“Paige!” she called, not sure if she should follow.

“Let’s get a bundle!” said Paige. “Watch out for thorns!”

Rose took a deep breath and carefully started walking up the hill, examining the roses. The red looked even deeper up close. She’d never seen anything like it. Hays Minor wasn’t known in for its botanical treasures. In her lifetime, Rose had seen more and more of the forests cleared away for mining. Many in the galaxy only seemed interested in what resources lie beneath the surface of the planet, but Rose had always admired the plants and animals, even if she didn’t know much about them. She joined Paige on the hillside, who was rummaging through her bag.

“Here!” Paige pulled out a pair of sharp-looking clippers and handed them to Rose. “Pick out the ones you like best. As many as you want!”

“Well, as many as we can carry,” said Rose.

“As many as I can carry, more like,” Paige said with a grin. Rose furrowed her brow.

“I’m not totally useless, you know,” Rose said.

“I know,” said Paige, looking hurt. “I didn’t mean it that way! Of course, you’re not. I brought you with me, not just because I wanted to show you the place, but because I need your help. Besides, it’s too scary to come out here all alone. There could be wild animals ready to pounce on us at any time!”

Rose gulped. “Wild…animals?” she asked. If Paige wanted to laugh at Rose’s jumpiness, she managed to hide it. Rose scrutinized each flower with seriousness. If they could only carry so many, she wanted to pick the best ones. Paige, however, was already hard at work, carefully cutting stems with her own pair of clippers. Rose made her way through the rosebushes, selecting the ones that seemed the lushest and most vibrant. Somehow, each one looked more red as she went along.

When the sisters had gathered as many roses as they could conceivably carry home, Paige put the pairs of clippers back in her bag and they scampered back down the hill. Rose paused at the bottom to admire the scenery one more time. Who could say when these flowers would return or when they’d appear this red again. Rose and Paige were much more talkative on the way back. The certainty of the journey’s length made it much easier for Rose and the activity of cutting and collecting the roses had warmed them up substantially. They teased each other about silly things they used to do and laughed at themselves in ways no one else seemed to understand.

“Okay,” said Paige, as they reached their door. “Let’s go in quietly.” Rose nodded. Together, they went in, avoiding the creaking spots on the floor. The smell of something sweet wafted through the air and immediately Rose’s stomach started to rumble. They followed their noses and stopped just outside the kitchen. Their parents’ voices mingled together with the tinkering of cookware. “We’ll go in on three!” said Paige. “One…two…three!”

“Surprise!” Yelled the girls, extending their armfuls of red roses towards their parents.

“Well, how about that!” exclaimed their father, jumping out of his chair.

“How lovely,” said their mother, eyeing the roses. “Here,” she continued, immediately reaching on a shelf to grab a vase, which she filled with water and placed on the center of the table. Rose and Paige began placing the roses into the water, arranging them in such a way to keep the vase from falling over.

“That’s quite a lot of flower, girls,” said their father, with a smile.

“Well, they’re rare, aren’t they?” asked Paige. “We ought to enjoy them as much as we can.”

“I that hot chocolate?” asked Rose. Paige leaned over her mother’s shoulder at the pot she was stirring.

“We knew you were out in the cold, so we thought this would be a nice treat to warm you up. It’s almost ready.” Rose pulled down four sturdy mugs from the cupboard and arranged them on the table at their respective seats.

“Can I stir?” asked Paige.

“Be my guest,” their mother said. Paige took the spoon and stirred the pot vigorously. When it was ready, she poured them each a helping. Rose fought the urge to take an immediate sip.

“While it cools, we want to give you two something,” said their father. We were saving it for the holiday, but with these winter roses and hot chocolate, it already feels like one! Their father left the room and returned holding a small blue box in his hand. He slid it across the table where the two sisters sat blowing on their mugs of chocolate.

“Open it together,” he said. Rose and Paige each took a corner of the lid and lifted it slowly in anticipation. Rose blinked twice at what she saw. Inside the box, cushioned in soft black velvet, were two gold medallion necklaces that together made one perfect circle.

“One for each of you,” said their mother. “You’re getting older now. One day, you may even go your separate ways. But when you wear these, you’ll always be together in spirit.” Rose smiled. She’d never imagined being separated from Paige, but her mother was right. And it was a big galaxy. There was no telling what the future would hold.

“We’re so thankful!” said Paige, hugging both of her parents and then hugging Rose around the neck. “Let’s wear them right away!” Paige pulled one out and hung it around Rose’s neck. Rose followed suit with the other one. She wrapped her hand around the metal medallion and it and felt it warm to the touch. Paige was pulling her half towards Rose’s to show how it made the circle. “This way we’ll be together forever!” said Paige.

“I think our chocolate's ready to drink,” said their mother. “Let’s make a toast to our family. To our future!” They each raised their mug with gusto.

“Hear, hear!” said Rose and Paige at the same time. They clinked mugs and took small sips, testing the temperature. With the bright red roses on the table, the smiling faces of her family, a warm mug in one hand, the other clenched around her new medallion, Rose felt her heart was as warm as the chocolate they were drinking. If this was the start of their holiday together, it would certainly be one of the most memorable.

“To our wonderful daughters! Here’s to Paige and to our winter Rose!”

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading! I know this is pretty saccharine, but that was my first instinct when I decided to join this project. I am typically pretty sentimental anyway, and the holiday season only amplifies that side of me. I love the idea of people coming together, feeling connected to each other and to the past, and celebrating the warmth of life in the cold months. I wanted to write something that just made me feel warm and cozy. Hopefully reading it makes you feel that way too!


End file.
